This post includes Paula’s designs that were featured in magazines. To see the rest of her work, and to read my hints for finding these out-of-print patterns, please visit my main Paula Vaughan post.
Leisure Arts magazine included crafts other than cross-stitch. For The Love Of Cross Stitch was also produced by Leisure Arts, but focused exclusively on cross-stitch designs by various designers.
For each magazine, I included a scan of the cover. If Paula’s design wasn’t featured on the cover, I also included a scan of the design. If you wish to buy your own copy, knowing how the cover looks will help you purchase the correct issue.
All 6 of the designs featured in Leisure Arts magazine and the first three from For The Love of Cross Stitch were included in Book 72: Preserved In Time. The last two featured in For The Love of Cross Stitch were included in Garden Reflections, a collection of nine designs by various designers.
To change the skin or hair color of the people featured in some of these designs, search for skin tone charts online. (If you find one that is especially helpful, please let me know!) You’ll need several shades to take advantage of the highlights and shadows. Some designs include reflections in mirrors, so be sure to change the reflection as well.
Leisure Arts Magazine
January-February 1987: Forever Yours – April Showers. This design shows a Grandmother’s Fan draped over the steps of a front porch with a front door in the background. A straw hat rests on the quilt. Irises grow beside the porch, and a couple of potted flowers sit on the edge of the porch.
March-April 1987: Forever Yours – May Flowers. This design shows a wooden chair sitting on a porch. A large basket holds a Shoefly quilt. A heart-shaped pincushion hangs on the back of the chair, and a wooden box holds a bouquet of wildflowers. A potted flower sits on the porch floor beside the chair.
May-June 1987: Forever Yours – June Brides. This design shows a Double Wedding Ring quilt hanging on a clothesline attached to porch posts. A wooden chair with a seat cushion sits on the porch behind the quilt. A couple of potted flowers sit on the edge of the porch, and irises and small white flowers grow beside the porch.
February 1988: Preserved In Time. This design shows a pie safe with opened doors. Inside the pie safe are a basket of apples, several canning jars filled with food, and some crocks and bowls. A basket, possibly holding fabric or yarn and lace, and a kerosene lamp sit on top of the pie safe. A Hole In The Barn Door quilt hangs on one of the doors. An apron is draped over the back of a wooden chair. A churn sits beside the chair. A pair of boots sit on the floor, along with a black item that I can’t identify – I can see a handle but can’t tell what it’s supposed to be!
April 1989: Fiddler And The Quilt Maker. This design features a front porch scene with two wooden rocking chairs. One chair holds a fiddle, with a bow leaning against the chair. The other chair holds a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt. Potted flowers decorate the porch, with another potted flower visible inside the window. Irises and some shorter flowers grow beside the porch.
April 1991: Vase Of Roses. This design features a fancy vase holding pink roses. A heart-shaped pincushion and a spool of thread sit on the table beside the vase, along with a rose and a petal that have fallen.
For The Love Of Cross Stitch Magazine
Premier: A Breath of Spring. It’s usually called “Premier” because it was their first issue, published in July 1988. The design showcases a crazy quilt in a large hoop. A heart-shaped pincushion rests on the quilt. A large basket holding fabric, lace, and spools of thread sits on the table behind the quilt. The window in the background allows us to see a rose bush growing outside.
March 1990: Timeless Elegance. This design shows an armoire in a room with floral wallpaper. One door of the armoire is open, and an old-fashioned pink dress hangs inside. A heart-shaped pincushion hangs on the inside of the door. A Double Wedding Ring quilt is stored on the shelf above the dress. The closed door of the armoire has a mirror that reflects a rocking chair holding a quilt and an oval-framed portrait hanging on the wall. A parasol, straw hat, hat box, and a pair of boots sit on the floor around the armoire. There’s also a cloth of some sort, draped over an open drawer below the mirror. It has back-stitched lines that look a bit like a parasol, but it’s a square so I don’t think it’s a parasol! Any ideas what that is?
November 1994: A Visit With Paula. This design features a woman in an old-fashioned pink dress. She’s holding a paintbrush and a paint palette and has a painting sitting on an easel in front of her. An artist’s box sits on a bench behind her. A straw hat sits on the ground beside the easel. Flowers grow around the scene. She’s holding a large stick in her left hand, the one holding the palette. There’s something white on top of it. Does anyone know what that stick is and what is its purpose?
May 1996: Pure In Heart. This design features a white wooden gate with a heart-shaped finial. A wooden fence post beside the gate supports a barbed wire fence. A rose bush and violets grow beside the fence. The verse reads, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Mt. 5:3”
September 1999: Sewing Room Reflections Part I. This design shows a Singer treadle sewing machine. A piece of pink fabric appears to be mid-seam, and a sewing basket sits to the right of the machine. An old-fashioned pink dress hangs on a dress form beside the sewing machine. A wooden green chair holds a white blouse with blue flowers. The white-curtained window offers a glimpse of a rose bush outside. A heart-shaped pincushion hangs on the wall beside the window.
November 1999: Sewing Room Reflections Part II. These designs coordinate with the design from the previous issue of the magazine. One design shows an old-fashioned pink dress on a dress form with a basket of fabric and a spool of thread on the floor beside the dress. Another design shows a pretty pincushion holding pins and needles. Several spools of thread, a thimble, and a pair of scissors accompany the pincushion. The final design is of a sewing basket, with fabric, a red “tomato” pincushion, scissors, a pattern, and several spools of thread.
May 2000: Here Comes The Bride. The interview that accompanies this design shares that Paula was inspired to paint this design after her granddaughter was so funny as the flower girl for her youngest son’s wedding. The design features a bride and a young flower girl walking down the stairs. An ornate window anchors the background, and roses decorate the stair railings.
March 2001: Spring Garden Spot. This design shows a wooden chair with a blue roses seat cushion sitting in a garden. A blue basket on the ground holds a straw hat and some roses. In the background, roses and irises and other flowers grow along a white wooden fence.
July 2001: Grandmother’s Garden Of Love. This design features a woman working in her flower garden. A white arbor supports climbing roses, and other flowers grow on either side of the path. An orange cat sits on the path.
Happy Stitching!
— Elizabeth
More Paula Vaughan posts: Paula Vaughan ~ Text-only Books List ~ Books 1-10 ~ Books 11-20 ~ Books 21-30 ~ Books 31-40 ~ Books 41-50 ~ Books 51-60 ~ Books 61-70 ~ Books 71-80 ~ Other Books ~ Magazines